Welp, like it says I'd like people's opinion on the matter.

The beginning of my senior year had started up and I was in a few AP classes and what not. The only person I knew was an old friend and I had known her for nearly 7 years, we were essentially best friends. Through the year I managed to get a draining, but well-paying job and she was more focused on school.

We had a group of friends and around Christmas was when things first began. My friends wanted to do white elephant, but I never got the message to bring any gift, which they apologized for, only to later be given the truth, that "friend", the close one, we'll call her "A" for short had told them to exclude me from it because my gift was going to be shitty.

I used to hang out in the mornings with her, before class and after having to work in the fast food industry, there's a lot to complain about, I only told her the bare bones of my problems, the fact that my managers were racist and sexist and she snapped at me saying that what I felt was stupid and that I was "lucky" enough to even get a job. I never brought up work with her again and in the end I had quit that job to focus on the last few months of school I had.

A fight broke out amongst our friends over some twitter video about a public confession and how the person receiving the confession acted. The others simply joked and poked fun, but "A" was serious and went on with a whole shpiel on feminism and that the girl in the video had a right to say no, which she did. The person who sent the tweet to the group simply stated it that what they said was a joke and that they weren't talking about the issue of rejection to the public eye and for "A" to chill.

"A" DMed someone else in the group and called the other person who had cleared up the misunderstanding a SJW. That morning she wasn't there like usual, but everyone else, including me and the person who sent the tweet as well as the person who was DMed were simply talking.

The friendly conversation had finally moved to the fight that happened the previous evening on twitter and then to how "A" treated me. I saw her as a friend and still did at the point, defended her when others said how much of a prick or overbearing she was and it shattered me to know the truth. I knew we had grown distant, but I didn't know to what extent until what I heard.

"A" had found me mildly annoying around Christmas and from then on after my job and me quitting she flat out despised me and my presence. She'd complain whenever I wasn't around which was quite often because I had extracurricular activities. It made everyone uncomfortable and they chose to hide it from me since I was oblivious and stressed with so much going on.

The main things she clearly said or repeated were, I was an eyesore and I tried to steal her job opportunity, that I complained too much, which in truth I did, but (I cut it out once she snapped), and that she'd ghost me after high school as well as just drop contacts because she wanted nothing to do with me.

I ended up confronting her, not out of anger. In all honesty, I was more concerned about trying to patch up our friendship since we were together for so long. I apologized and asked her what I did to bother her. "A" said it was my personality to blame and that I was just being a horrible friend, then she calling me spoiled for "getting" my way and that she needed this job for experience when all I did was apply to the same place, different position.
From there she avoided and ignored me, didn't even let me explain myself.

She calls me spoiled for being able to get a job in the first place when all that money was for my savings and to help pay for bills and my younger brother's allowance. We both were in AP Art and the teacher favoured me as a person rather than a student or for my talents and "A" didn't like that.

In the end, she got a full ride to an Art University, a car from her parents and money from the scholarships, she was supported by two loving parents. I got a scholarship and acceptance to a university that I dreamed of attending, but my parents forced me to get into a different major, forced me to give up what I dreamed and loved to do as well as the school that I wanted, and now I pay for my own tuition, and my own car.

She has everything given to her on a golden platter, enough to where I was jealous, but I loved her more than that and chose to help her when I could and listen to her problems.

I know I can't do anything now, but I really miss her.

My question is, does anyone know if there was any way to handle it better?

Yana, from what I can see, you've handled the situation very nicely and shouldn't fret about it.
She seems to be the kind of person that I personally wouldn't touch with a 10' pole.
Either way, I can tell you from experience that you usually lose touch with your high school friends once you start college/university, so it's not that much of a lost, considering what seems to be her personality.

P.S.: Don't let your parents dictate your life, you'll most likely regret it. Worst case, try compromising with them. You could try finding something in the general field that they want you to go in that would necessitate art, since it seems to be the subject that you like.

Either way, good luck with your studies! ^^

Honestly, you handled this better than most people. I had many similar situations like this throughout junior high and highschool. I don't know if it's the best way to handle these things, but I eventually just let those relationships go. Once you've done what you can, and have effectively communicated everything you needed to, you just leave it up to them whether you continue your friendship.

Sometimes they end up coming around (like 5 years later in my experience, about 40 years later in my parents' experience), but sometimes those relationship are done, and you just have to heal and move on. And honestly, trying to stay connected to someone who wants nothing to do with you, is just going to make you feel worse and more miserable.

It sounds like "A" may have just been jealous of you. Sometimes when people are used to having things just handed to them, and everything works out all the time, they get upset when things don't go their way. It sounds like this was the case with the job, and she was jealous that you were able to earn it, and still succeed at school and in other areas of life. (although who would be jealous of a fast food job? I have no clue. I've worked nearly every type of customer service job, and hated nearly every second of every job. haha.)

As you get older, you'll keep in touch with less and less people. You start realizing what kinds of people you work well with and who you don't, and for those that you don't, life is too short to drain yourself investing in them. If this conflict hadn't happened, it's likely you may have just naturally dropped out of contact with each other anyway.



As for your major, I don't know all the details, but just make sure you don't hate your career path. You don't need to love what you do (majority of people don't), but at the least make sure you don't hate it. Also, you can always double major. Or even just do a minor. That provides you more opportunities for grad schools and jobs, and allows you to study in an field you find interesting.

Also whatever it was you wanted to do before, analyze the specific aspects about it that you liked. Does your current major (or another major your parents would approve of) have any of those aspects? Also ask, what do you dislike about your current major? Is there a way to approach those cons with a different viewpoint? Can you apply something you have interest in to those cons? Is there another major that has your pros, without the cons?

Also definitely talk to a mentor (prof, TA, older student, professional in the field). I've never found advisers especially helpful, but you can try talking to an advisor in your current major. I used to cringe at the idea of education, especially public speaking (I'm biochem major, pre-med, so I love stem), but one of my profs has been an incredible mentor to me and now I'm prepping to do volunteering tutoring for inmates at a local prison and looking to work in education during my gap year once I graduate. I've also loathed politics since birth, but another prof and some peers have influenced me to where now I'm looking at pursuing an MD/JD (med & law school) to go into healthcare policy reform.

All this to say, just explore different paths within your major. Your future is not as dim as it may seem. I don't mean to get all instagram-quote cheesy, but life is definitely what you make of it, so pursue a life you find worth living.

Okay, I have to get back to studying for a midterm now. Haha. Sorry for the long schpeel. Good luck with everything!